U.S. and Russia Had Discussed Idea, But Moscow Proposal Came as a Surprise

The idea that has upended President Barack Obama's push for a military attack on Syria—tossed out as an aside by his secretary of state at a news conference—had been discussed with Russia over the past year and more frequently in recent weeks, according to a U.S. account of the discussions.

At a special Seib & Wessel event in Washington, D.C., Sen. John McCain said his constituents, and he personally, remained confused about the U.S.'s intentions and goals for intervening in the Syrian conflict.

Secretary of State John Kerry acted on his own, without White House direction, when he suggested on Monday that Syria could avert a U.S. attack if it gave up its chemical weapons.

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Secretary of State Kerry on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Associated Press

The comment, in remarks his spokeswoman later described as "rhetorical" and "hypothetical," set off a chain reaction that could provide Mr. Obama away out of the crisis, or give him the political cover to say he exhausted his diplomatic options.

Though the development came as a surprise, one year ago Mr. Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at a Group of 20 summit in Mexico and talked about the idea of Syria turning over its chemical weapons supply to international control, an administration official said. The two leaders couldn't strike a deal.

Over the past year, Obama administration officials and their Russian counterparts have discussed ways to neutralize Syria's chemical weapons.

In April, Mr. Kerry made his first trip to Moscow as secretary of state and took part in a dinner with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, that lasted until 2:30 a.m.

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The Russian and French presidents talk at the G-20 summit Friday.
Associated Press

They discussed a model for eliminating Syria's chemical weapons, much as Libya agreed to give up its nuclear program a decade ago, the administration official said.

In June, the U.S. concluded that Mr. Assad's forces had used chemical weapons on a small scale—and Mr. Obama authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to help arm moderate fighters battling the Assad regime. Russia continued to avow its support for Damascus.

Then came the attack on Aug. 21 in the outskirts of Damascus, which the U.S. concluded was carried out by the Assad regime and killed more than 1,400 people.

After the attack, the talks between Messrs. Kerry and Lavrov picked up steam: They have talked nine times since Aug. 21, the administration official said. As Messrs. Obama and Kerry made forceful declarations that the attack deserved a strong, punitive response, Russia defended Damascus, and said that rebels, not the regime, were responsible.

Something of a breakthrough took place at the latest G-20 meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia last week.

Mr. Obama had no plans to meet with Mr. Putin at the two-day summit. But on the final day, they spoke privately for about 20 minutes.

Mr. Putin mentioned the plan to remove the weapons from Mr. Assad's control, and Mr. Obama agreed it could be an avenue for cooperation, both sides confirm.

They agreed to have Messrs. Kerry and Lavrov shape a proposal. But discussions about it were still preliminary—and the administration had doubts that it would work.

Mr. Kerry let the idea slip at a news conference in London on Monday.

Then the unexpected happened. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov publicly embraced the idea. Syria quickly endorsed it. U.S. lawmakers, keen to avoid a difficult vote or reluctant to endorse another military engagement in the Middle East, jumped on it.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Richard Murphy joins the News Hub to discusses Obama's address to the nation on Syria and possible next steps. Photo: AP

And after a few hours, so did Mr. Obama. "We were struck by the seriousness of the [Russian] statement, which went farther than we anticipated," the senior administration official said.

Mr. Kerry spoke with National Security Adviser Susan Rice. The two agreed the proposal to remove chemical weapons from the Assad regime's control would be difficult to pull off but was a "positive step" and needed to be pursued, the administration official said.

A vote in Congress on authorizing a military strike has been delayed while the Obama administration plumbs the seriousness of Syrian pledges to cooperate.

Many diplomats said they expect the coming debate will call the Russian-Syrian bluff and kick the issue back to the U.S. and the Congress.

On Capitol Hill, some lawmakers have criticized what they describe as the administration's improvisational approach to Syria.

"I've never seen anything quite like it in all my years working here," said Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.).

The U.S. is waiting for a Russian proposal to flesh out how Mr. Assad might hand over his chemical weapons to international control, "but we're not waiting long," the administration official said.

"It has to be swift, it has to be real, and it has to be verifiable," the official added. "It can't be a delaying tactic, and if the U.N. Security Council seeks to be the vehicle to make it happen, well then it can't be a debating society."

For now, though, the path described by Mr. Kerry has been embraced by U.S. lawmakers and world leaders as perhaps the best chance to remove Syria's chemical weapons from the battlefield without a U.S. aerial assault.

Despite a breakdown in relations between the U.S. and Russia over a range of issues, including Syria and Russian protection offered to National Security Administration leaker Edward Snowden, the developments shows how the two countries are being forced together on the world stage.

The White House hopes for a positive outcome no matter how the plan fares. Either it works and Syria agrees to hand over its chemical-weapons stockpile, or it doesn't and the administration can go back to a balky Congress with the additional argument that it had exhausted all diplomatic avenues.

Congressional vote counters said opposition in the House in particular, but also in the Senate, would have made it hard for the president to prevail with his original plan.

As uncoordinated as it was, "the Kerry gambit might turn out to be what saved us." said James Jeffrey, who served as ambassador to Turkey and Iraq in the Obama administration and as a deputy national security adviser to George W. Bush.

Some U.S. officials said they remained skeptical that the plan would work.

They worry that Russia, Syria's main ally, may be pushing the idea as a stalling tactic, and that getting a proposal with teeth through the United National security council may be impossible.

Moreover, operating an inspection regime amid a violent civil war might be an unworkable idea.

U.S., French and British officials have started discussing how they should respond to Russia's offer.

A senior diplomat involved in the discussions said the goal was to either reach a real agreement or "call Russia's bluff."

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